


the botanical hospital

by cantfoolajoker (lichmutual)



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Basically Outright Kurosu Jun/Suou Tatsuya But Not Enough For A Ship Tag, Blood, Body Horror, Emetophobia, Eye Injury, Hanahaki Disease, Kurusu Akira is Actually a Kurosu, M/M, Minor Injuries, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:21:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21802840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lichmutual/pseuds/cantfoolajoker
Summary: Akira has been coughing lately and no one seems to know why. Yu takes some time to train in Mementos and discovers a new area that could hold the answer.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Narukami Yu, Persona 4 Protagonist/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 7
Kudos: 91





	the botanical hospital

**Author's Note:**

> i've been working on this for a week or two and it's finally finished. i want to take this authors note to warn while this story does have a happy ending, there is graphic imagery in it to get to that point, so please heed the tags before reading. 
> 
> also, you can read this story without knowing anything about p2, i just really wanted to use jun in this lmao

“Yuuuuuuu,” Futaba drew out the vowel in his name, which was an immediate sign she wanted something.

“Yes, Futaba?” Yu asked, folding the corner of his book and setting it down on the counter before turning in his barstool seat to face her. He often took time to unwind at Leblanc after class, half for the calm atmosphere, and half for the comfort he found in the Phantom Thieves’ company.

Futaba paused, pressing the tips of her index fingers together. “Could you take me to the launch for the new Phoenix Ranger Featherman game?” she finally blurted out, speaking fast as if she were spitting out the words.

Yu couldn’t help but chuckle gently. “Why do you need me to take you?”

“Because Sojiro-” A glance was paid toward the individual working in the back kitchen at that moment, “-said he wanted someone to go with me ‘cause it’s a midnight release, and Akira said he doesn’t know if he’s feeling up for it.”

“Is he still not feeling better?”

Futaba shook her head, her face falling a bit. “No, he was coughing really hard this morning. He went to the clinic down the street again to see if the lady had any idea what’s wrong.”

Akira had been feeling sick the past few weeks, Yu was aware of that. At first, Akira had waved it off as a few unrelated coughing fits. Then it became more frequent, more worse, to the point he was struggling to breathe. Doctor Takemi had come back with a result of maybe he had asthma, but she couldn’t figure out what was triggering it then even if he did. All that could be done was to run more tests and see if something came up.

Yu hummed gently, thoughtful. “Sure, I’ll take you.”

“R-Really?” Futaba asked, eyes wide with excitement, and he nodded and smiled. He was only half prepared for the hug and the repeated “thank you”s that followed, his mind preoccupied elsewhere.

~ ♡ ~

Yu: Any update on that diagnosis?  
Akira: :/

That was about the reaction he expected. Sighing, he watched the three dots pop up to indicate Akira was still typing.

Akira: doc said it could b a mental thing causing it like stress but idk, i don’t feel stressed  
Yu: Are classes going well?  
Akira: yeah, im one of the top students in my psych class lol

Yu hummed, thinking as he tried to figure out another potential reason. His aimless thumb tapping was too long of a wait for Akira; the other individual’s typing bubble came up once more and Yu paused, then deleted what he’d already written and backed off to let him finish.

Akira: i called my dads to talk to them abt it cause they have my medical records n shit  
Akira: pops joked asking if i had a crush on anyone cause it could be florist’s curse or w/e it was called  
Yu: Florist’s disease?

The mention of a crush made Yu’s heart pang, but he refused to acknowledge that, instead focusing on Akira and waiting intently as Akira typed.

Akira: ya pretty much like, i guess its an oldwives tale abt how if youve got an unrequited crush, you start coughing cause its like a seed or something got planted in your lungs  
Akira: and you cough until you choke on the flowres that bloomed  
Akira: flowers  
Yu: That’s uh  
Yu: Something  
Akira: lmao yeah

The idea of Akira choking to death on a bunch of flowers grown from an unrequited crush made Yu’s stomach churn.

Yu: I don’t see how that would be possible, though  
Akira: yeah it’s totally possible to just randomly grow a plant in you yu  
Yu: That’s not what I meant  
Yu: I meant who could possibly not like you

There was a long pause after Yu’s message sent, and he fidgeted at the lack of response.

Yu: I mean, you’re funny and charming and can make a good cup of coffee, who wouldn’t want to fall in love with that?  
Akira: sorry, coughing  
Yu: Ah

Another long pause until Akira responded again.

Akira: i think im just gonna go lay down, my head hurts  
Yu: Alright, I hope your rest is nice  
Yu: Make sure to drink water  
Akira: i will if i dont choke on it first lol

Yu flinched at the literal threat of that statement.

Akira: ttyl  
Yu: See you  
  


Rather than setting his phone down, Yu decided to switch over to the browser application and try searching up about the “curse” Akira had mentioned. There wasn’t much, though he expected that; it was mainly some sort of genre trope used by writers to cause drama in their story.

Changing tactics, he then tried searching up the other name he found it under, “Hanahaki Disease”, and found about the same amount of information as the previous search. Yu wasn’t sure why he was even searching it, so he ultimately decided to close the tabs and go make himself dinner instead, hoping in the back of his mind that Akira was alright.

~ ♡ ~

Mementos was still unfamiliar to Yu. It was a different facet of the total collective conscious compared to the TV World, and he could tell Izanagi suffered slightly from the shift in environment, so he chose not to summon him unless he desperately needed to. He didn’t find himself struggling on his own though, comforted by his blade in hand as he slashed through shadows as he came by them.

It was the first time he’d been in Mementos without the thieves or anyone else accompanying him. He found the tunnels twisting and confusing, with the bright colors accented by black making his eyes hurt. After another shadow was downed, he decided to try and find the staircase down for that level; the next level should be a rest station, according to what his phone was telling him, so he could take a break there and decide if he was done.

It had been a week since he spoke to Akira via text, and Akira’s condition had worsened dramatically, culminating in being bed ridden that morning. Yu decided he needed to calm down once he heard Sojiro discussing on whether or not Akira would be able to make it on a train to Sumaru City to see his parents. The idea that there was a possibility Akira wouldn’t be able to make a simple train ride had killed his appetite. 

There was something wrong with him yet no one knew what, and because of that, Yu couldn’t help like he desperately wanted to.

He hated feeling useless.

Yu blinked and used his free hand to rub the burning feeling from his eyes, shifting his glasses as he fought back the threatening tears at the corners of his eyes. His aimless walking had brought him to a three way intersection, and he paused at the center to collect himself before he pushed forward. When he finally did, he lifted his head and realized there was something drifting in the air around him.

Cherry blossoms.

The last time Yu checked, the only things really prominent in Mementos were the smell of gasoline and a sort of dark fog-like atmosphere that made it difficult to see more than a few feet out, with vines of a variety of colors decorating the walls. There was never any flowers present, however; that would have made the atmosphere too happy for the people of Tokyo to agree with.

Realizing that the petals were coming from one of the two pathways, he paused and waited to see if he could watch and pinpoint where they were coming from. They all seemed to be blowing out into the intersection from the pathway to the right of him, which is what finalized his decision to ready his sword and head deeper in that direction, his curiosity getting the better of him and burning with a need to know what had changed in Mementos.

The blossoms in the air only grew thicker, the color of Mementos shifting to a lighter, softer red, though still accented by the ever present black. Yu could see a portal at the end of the way, each pulse demonstrating its life as it brought forth more cherry blossoms, propelling them through the air. 

Stepping closer, a sign came into Yu’s vision, made of the soft shade of brown that was usually the color of a cherry blossom tree wood. There were blossoms littering the top with green vines curled up the post holding up the board of wood.

_Botanical Hospital up ahead._

Yu gripped his blade tighter, hesitating for a few seconds before deciding to pass the sign and step through.

When he came to his senses, the site he was brought to wasn’t as alarming as he previously imagined. He had seen dungeons before, and the thieves had described the “palaces” they had dealt with, but from their descriptions, he had imagined something much more twisted than what he was looking at. 

There was a white stone road under his feet, separating and going off in various directions up ahead of him. Looking up, he could see glass ceilings that connected to glass walls, with white accents holding the panes together, but he couldn’t tell if the blue behind them was meant to be the sky or if it was as close as it could be. The other thing that stuck out to Yu was the way the plants were overgrown and covered the walls to where they connected to the slanted roof; he could only tell the walls were even made of glass here by the few holes here and there between the thick greenery.

His grip on his sword had slackened in awe at the place as he took in the new environment, but upon hearing approaching footsteps, he immediately raised his guard.

“Ah! There are the pink camellias,” he heard a voice around the corner, and upon peeking around the vegetation, his eyes landed on the form of another person.

The man was obviously older, judging from the lines on his face, with black hair that dipped to cover half of his features and curl under his opposing ear. Warm brown eyes were focused on a circular pink flower in his hands, which Yu could only assume was the pink camellia he had heard him mention before. The man leaned over with clippers to cut a few more before dropping them into a basket at his feet that was filled with a variety of other flowers, before returning the clippers into the pocket of the apron he wore.

The man turned to face Yu, and Yu realized maybe he wasn’t hiding as well as he thought.

“Hello,” the man greeted politely, picking up the basket. “Are you lost? Oh!” Bringing up his now free hand to rest against his chin in thought, he leaned forward and squinted his eyes at Yu. “Are you the Narukami fellow my son talks about?”

Yu wasn’t sure what to say, caught off guard by being identified so readily by a stranger, only able to answer with a questioning, “Yes?”

The man clapped his hands lightly and smiled at that answer, not seeming to register the quizzical tone Yu had. “Great! He’s been waiting for you to show up, you know.”

Yu’s confusion only worsened as he tried to piece together what was happening. The man finally seemed to pick up on this, though he didn’t seem to fully understand. “Oh, where are my manners?” He chuckled, before shifting his hand to highlight the name tag on his chest, which read _Kurosu Jun_ on it. “You may call me Jun.”

With that, Jun gave a nod of his head and turned. “Well, we don’t have all day now,” he informed him, using his free hand to motion for Yu to follow him. Yu obliged, letting his grip on his blade loosen in the absence of any perceived threat.

Akira had mentioned his parents in passing before. Hell, Yu had seen pictures of them when Futaba brought out the baby pictures of Akira she’d stolen from him for blackmail purposes. One was a florist and sometimes taught at the university in Sumaru City— he could immediately identify Jun as this parent— while the other was a mechanic who liked to work on motorcycles in particular. Akira spoke fondly of them, so Yu wasn’t alarmed by Jun so much as why he was _here_.

The thieves had mentioned that sometimes individuals would create cognitive versions of people that were important to them. They weren’t one-to-one recreations, but rather a summary of how they were perceived by the individual in question who had created them. The lingering question in his mind however was if that meant this was connected to Akira, a thought which Yu promptly decided to push back to the corner it had originated from.

“You know,” Cognitive Jun started, catching Yu’s attention, “he does talk about you a lot.”

“Akira?” Yu repeated, picking up his pace so he could properly hold this conversation and walk next to Jun.

“Who else?” Jun asked, chuckling as he reached down and picked a lavender rose to examine. “You’d think he would run out of words with how much he could ramble about you, but we all know how Akira likes to chatter.” There was a fondness to his tone at this, paired with a smile that made Yu smile too.

“Yeah, he does like to talk a lot, huh,” Yu agreed, his heart swelling just a bit.

“He’s been having trouble talking recently though,” Jun said, making Yu perk curiously.

“Has he been coughing?” he guessed, and Jun nodded, his expression falling.

“He’s been coughing up petals for weeks now,” the cognition explained, and Yu felt the way his ease drained away, running through his hands like water as it dripped from his fingertips. “It’s been getting worse and worse.”

That was when Yu started to notice the finer details of his surroundings. It wasn’t all just petals and vines and shrubbery; he started to notice little pathways that led to small clearings with only plain white beds in them. IV drips were strangled by vines at the edges of the walkway, to the point Yu had been mistaking them up until this point as simply apart of the garden scenery. There was even a stretcher being used to hold potted plants that were marked for “transplant”, and the double meaning made a shiver go up Yu’s spine.

He even noticed now too that Jun was wearing scrubs underneath his apron, a soft blue base fabric with yellow flower decorations on it to appear less clinical.

“Are you okay?” Jun asked with a frown, and Yu realized he had stopped walking.

“I’m fine,” Yu responded, holding as straight of a face as he possibly could. He had to hold it together. He had to for Akira.

The cognition hummed, giving him a look as if he knew he was lying, though he let it pass with a nod of his head. “If you say so,” he said gently, turning to walk again. “We’re almost to Akira’s room.”

Yu realized they had reached the center of the pseudo-palace from the way the roof opened up to a dome, with ceiling high walls of glass separating everything on the outside from what was inside. There was a crack in what Yu had originally thought was the perfectly paved stone, but the crack had been stylized into a small canal, running water into a pond that reflected the phony light blue of the sky outside. Yu’s eyes glanced upward and he had to double take the large marble statue of Izanagi- _his_ Izanagi- holding a functioning heart monitor.

The other decorations shifted from stone to marble as well, signifying the importance of this room, and the special patient of this botanical ward was seated in a stark white bed at the center, carefully using his fingernails to cut into stems and weave flowers together.

Cognitive Jun approached Shadow Akira first and gave him a brief kiss on the forehead before handing him the basket in hand. Bright yellow eyes lit up happily, and Shadow Akira thanked his father before Jun took his leave out one of the side entrances. Upon further inspection, Yu could see the familiar figures of other thieves and even some of the investigation team members, all dressed in scrubs and aprons and working on something he couldn’t ascertain.

“Yu?” 

The familiar voice broke Yu’s focus, and he turned his head to see the hopeful eyes of Shadow Akira. His soft expression almost made Yu ignore the clear indication of what he was dealing with as he looked into his eyes, and he slowly made his way closer.

“Hey, Akira,” Yu greeted softly, trying to ease himself into this situation as best as he could. “How’re you feeling?”

Shadow Akira laughed, the same light hearted way that Akira always did when he didn’t want to talk about something. The hollowness of it struck a chord in Yu. “Better now that you’re here,” he answered, smiling gently, almost earnestly.

Yu could only bite his lip to keep himself in check, nodding his head. “Ah, what’re you up to?” he asked, motioning toward the flowers in his lap.

“I was making flower crowns,” the shadow explained, holding it up for Yu to see. “This is a red carnation,” he said, pointing, “and this a red rose.”

“I see.”

“Do you want it?” Shadow Akira asked, offering the flowers forward, and Yu couldn’t say no to the look and the soft smile he gave him. Putting it on his head, Yu watched as he grabbed the basket and pulled out some of the pink camellias and lavender roses and began to repeat the process of using his nail to cut the stems and weave them tightly together.

“You’re good at that,” Yu told him after a pause, finding the process meditatively soothing watch.

“Thanks,” Shadow Akira said with a laugh. “Pops taught me how to make them when I was a kid. It’s sorta a nervous habit at this point.”

Yu didn’t think the feeling in his stomach could drop any more than it had already, but he was finding out a lot of new things today. “Why’re you nervous, Akira?” he asked carefully, voice as gentle as he could make it as he leaned against the edge of the bed and kept his eyes on Shadow Akira.

The shadow didn’t respond at first, instead focusing on cutting the stems and pushing flowers through them to link them together before tying them off. It was almost like he was avoiding the question— which he was, Yu knew Akira far too well for this sort of honed brushing off technique to work on him— so Yu reached out his hand and took one of the shadow’s hands in his own. He didn’t want to comment on how cold it felt, instead squeezing gently and offering his own warmth to him.

Shadow Akira’s hands faltered their movements after missing weaving through the hole, and his hands fell to his lap with a thump, with his shoulders slacking and his eyes focused on his lap as another pause of silence fell between them.

“I’m dying, Yu.”

Yu’s grip tightened.

“I have Hanahaki,” the shadow explained soft, so _sad_ , unable to look at Yu. “The seed’s almost fully grown. They think it’s gonna pop out of my throat by tomorrow.”

Yu was at a loss for words, unable to respond, and Shadow Akira lifted his head to and brought up the hand he wasn’t holding to drag a line carefully up from his breast bone to his throat; Yu could see the color green showing against his skin now, the same color he was beginning to notice running through his arms as well, weaving against the blue of his veins.

He could only lower his head, squeezing his eyes shut as tears fell.

“I-” Yu started, his shoulders wracked by a sob, “I can’t lose you.”

“I’m sorry,” the shadow told him, gentle toned.

“There _has_ to be another way,” he said, picking his head up and inhaling sharply with a stuffy nose. Yu didn’t even bother wiping away the tears lingering on his red cheeks that soon dripped off his jaw. “Please, there has to be another way.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t,” Shadow Akira responded. “The only way it’s reversible at this point is if the feelings are returned.”

Yu could feel the bile rising to his throat, the only thing keeping it down being the overwhelming instinct to be strong. He had to be strong, he repeated to himself, a constant reminder as he inhaled through a stuffy nose and swallowed the spit in his mouth to keep it down. “We can probably get those feelings reciprocated,” he reasoned, insistent. “It- it can’t be _that_ hard. You’re one of the best people I know! Anybody would be happy to find out you like them.”

The sad smile that appeared on the shadow’s face made knots form in Yu’s stomach. “It’s not that easy,” he said, and Yu hated the way he spoke to him, feeling like a child that needed to be calmed down. “Plus, I’m bedridden. It’s kinda too late,” he added on, chuckling airily.

Yu shook his head, reaching out his other hand to push the flowers out of his lap and hold both of Shadow Akira’s hands tightly. They were ice cold to the touch, causing a sharp shiver to jolt through his spine. “I’ll find the person and drag them to you if I have to,” he said, trying to patch his voice together with determination despite the hiccup in the middle of it. “Just tell me who it is and I _will_ make it happen.”

Shadow Akira seemed to pause, almost like Yu’s words were catching him at every new thing he said. His breath hitched and he coughed; it wasn’t the worst coughing fit Yu had seen him go through in the past few weeks, but this time he watched his face scrunch up uncomfortably, and he turned his head and spat out a red petal to a flower Yu couldn’t identify. It hit the trash can seated next to the bed without a noise, drifting down in to it as the shadow turned to him once more.

“It’s not that easy,” he repeated once more, shaking his head as he spoke.

Yu squeezed his hands. “Why not!” he exclaimed, voice and shoulders raising, though upon realizing he forced his shoulders down, still unable to release the tension in them. “Why not? The solution is right there, Akira, why won’t you let me help you?”

He could feel his hands shake, Yu’s grip on Shadow Akira’s hands tightening as his voice broke. “I can’t just do nothing while I watch someone I love suffer, Akira.” He’d already been through this before, the memory of sitting at Nanako’s bedside a few years prior poking him like how one would provoke an animal.

Yu refused to go through the same with Akira too, not if he could change it.

Shadow Akira went into a stronger coughing fit the moment Yu finished speaking, his pupils growing smaller as he gripped Yu’s hands for the first time during this whole exchange. It passes this time without anything coming up, but his voice sounded weaker now, almost broken, as he explained, “I don’t want anyone to feel guilty.” Licking his own lips, the shadow kept his eyes away from looking at Yu as he continued. “Besides, the person has better choices than me anyway.”

“That doesn’t matter!” Yu told him, his voice cracking, but he didn’t back off, too wrapped up in his own momentum. “Listen, I’ve always admired your compassion, but now is _not_ the time. Someone’s feelings are not more important than your life.” Shaking his head, Yu sniffled, shifting his shoulder to wipe his face. “Also, that’s a- that’s a pretty shitty joke to make at a time like this. You know like, half of your own team has a crush on you, right? Not even counting I’ve got friends who _also_ have a crush on you?”

His words didn’t seem to affect the shadow like he had thought they would. Instead, Shadow Akira’s face scrunched up and tears formed at the corners of his eyes. “The same can be said for you too, you know!” he retorted, voice raising. “How the hell am I supposed to compete with that?”

Yu recoiled at the tone he had taken, biting his lower lip as the words processed. “Is the person you’re crushing on in love with me?” he asked finally, ignoring the way his heart hung heavy at that idea. “That’s not- I don’t want that at all,” he assured him, thumbs carefully moving to run over the shadow’s knuckles in an attempt to sooth him. “I’ll make them see how wonderful you are if I have to. I’ll do anything.”

However, this only made Shadow Akira cry harder, tears falling from his eyes as he squeezed them shut tightly, and Yu could swore he saw tiny buds threaten to spring from his tear ducts the harder he tried to close them. “Well Narcissus,” he started, voice wavering and shaking as he struggled to breathe, “your river is right fucking there if you want to have a talk with yourself.”

Yu stopped, blinking his eyes rapidly and causing a few tears to drop that had been waiting for their chance to. Confusion settled over him like a cloud as he spoke quietly. “What?”

The shadow’s sobs only grew, his shoulders shaking as he looked down and his tears fell against their joined hands. “I’m in love with _you_ ,” he told him, inhaling open mouthed at a high pitch, “ever since I met you.”

Attempting to regain control of himself, Shadow Akira gripped Yu’s hands tightly, his voice wavering as he spoke once more. “I love you so much that flowers grew in my chest,” he told him, voice barely above a whisper, like it was a secret only they could know, “and now I can’t breathe.”

Yu closed his eyes, a pained, distorted smile that could be far more readily identified as a grimace warping his features as he sat in thought at this revelation. When he finally gathered up his thoughts, he set to resolve this situation once and for all, opening his eyes and shifting closer to the shadow. “Why didn’t you just say?” he asked him, hoarse and soft with equal parts fondness and sadness in his tone. “That’s not difficult at all.”

Shadow Akira sniffled hard, though that led him straight into a coughing fit; a painful, heavy, filled cough that Yu could hear something bigger than a petal was coming up. Turning his head at the very last second, a large red carnation emerged and fell out of his mouth and onto the floor. Blood mixed saliva was left behind on his chin as he shivered. 

He just looked pitiful now, weak and scared at everything being out. “I didn’t want you to feel guilty about not liking me,” he told him, voice shaky and wavering with the sincerity behind it all. “I didn’t want to force you into it. I don’t want to be loved out of-” Shadow Akira swallowed, bringing up a hand to wipe his chin and wipe the fluids on his hospital gown as he collected himself. “I don’t want to be loved out of pity.”

Yu laughed, bright yet brittle, like he was still ready for this to take a turn for the worse despite how clear the solution was to him, even if it hadn’t occurred to the shadow yet. “Nobody who loves you loves you out of pity,” he assured him, voice steady as he spoke. “I mean, what about you could possibly inspire pity? You’re one of the strongest, fastest, most clever people I know.” He kept his eyes on the shadow, bringing over his now free hand to gently clasp both of his hands over Shadow Akira’s sole hand sitting in his lap, attempting to allow his warmth to comfort him.

“You’ve got the gravitas of a leader, the roguish and handsome features of those gentleman thieves you guys took your name from, and you’re such a kind friend….” Yu found himself trailing off, pausing as a surge of fondness rushed through him. Akira was good. He may not have thought he was, but Yu wanted to give him the world so he could see how much he deserved it.

“I never loved you out of pity,” Yu assured him, voice soft. “I love you because you inspired me to be better. You’re so bright, and you inspire that same brightness in others and I adore you for that.”

Shadow Akira sniffled, golden eyes contrasted by the puffy redness around them and the blotchy way his face had flushed from crying. “You really mean all of that?” he asked, tone hopeful, matching the shine in his eyes.

“Of course I do,” Yu insisted. “You were listening when I said some of my own team has a crush on you, right? Naoto, Yukiko, and, well….” He trailed off, pulling his hands back to give a sheepish look. He couldn’t help it, feeling his cheeks heat at the unsaid implication.

The shadow covered his face, a soft sob emitting from him. “Say it again,” he told him. “Tell me you love me.”

Yu placed his hands on Shadow Akira’s shoulders, squeezing them gently in comfort.

“I love you, Akira. Just as long as you’ve loved me. I promise.”

Shadow Akira suddenly convulsed violently, his shoulders hunching and his chest caving as he coughed, keeping his hands covering his face. Yu could hear he was choking; the deep, congested cough sounding like something in him had gotten caught, and Yu only shifted to rub his back with firm, comforting motions, attempting to sooth him in any way possible as he watched with horrified fascination as the red flower inside of him press against his throat and slowly make its way up at each quiver the shadow’s body gave.

Shadow Akira’s breath hitched and tears fell from his eyes as the retching sounded like the flower had gotten stuck just at the back of his mouth, and Yu patted his back gently to encourage him, unable to look at him and instead focusing on his lap. He heard a final choked noise, then the sound of rustling and something slimy being forcefully pulled from Shadow Akira’s mouth following soon after.

Looking up, he saw Shadow Akira heaving, eyes dilated but holding a wet, red-tinted lavender rose in his grasp, with its stem and thorns uncomfortably scarlet. It appeared to have emerged from a small seed, with a crack down the middle that didn’t obscure Yu’s name on it in the slightest.

The shadow’s chin and lips were a mess, covered in a mix of his blood and his saliva as he promptly dropped the seed in the trash can. Bringing his equally stained hands up, he grabbed ahold of the collar of his hospital gown and brought it to his mouth to cover it like he was afraid another flower would come up, panting against the fabric as Yu continued to rub his back without stopping.

Sniffling, Shadow Akira could barely shift to lay partially in Yu’s lap as Yu began to rub the curve of his shoulder and his hair. It was almost like he was making himself smaller, wanting to curl into Yu to be comforted.

“How’re you feeling?” Yu asked after a pause, voice barely above a whisper.

“Hollow,” the shadow replied, his voice muffled by the fabric of his gown. “Not in a bad way, just... in a recovering way.”

Yu took a deep breath, nodding his head at that. “That’s good,” he told him, letting his fingers carefully separate some of Shadow Akira’s black locks thoughtfully. “I’m still processing, honestly.”

The shadow turned his head to look up at Yu, bringing the gown collar down to chin level to give him a questioning, almost shrewd look with squinted gold eyes and pursed cut lips. 

“I mean-” Yu started, feeling his cheeks turn a soft pink. “You like me? Like-” His mind blanked, going back to when Nanako had first asked him about his crush. “Like, like-like me?”

Shadow Akira paused as he processed his words, and then he laughed, so full and happy and _genuine_ that made Yu blush more, bringing up a hand to wipe the small tears threatening to fall at seeing Akira so joyful. It was almost as if the palace agreed with him, as Yu could feel what felt like the sun shining through the dome of the garden, and the light cast across Shadow Akira’s face made it radiant.

Yu stared in awe, mouth slightly agape as the shadow responded with an amused giggle as his laughter dissolved. “Of course I like-like you,” he told him, grinning. “You look like you’d be a calm and cool dude but then the first day you walked into Leblanc, you saw Morgana sitting on the counter and you just cooed at him for like, what, five whole minutes?” 

Shadow Akira only laughed more as Yu felt his face heat up as he continued to talk. “You ignored me trying to tell you to sit wherever you wanted because you were distracted by a cat. How could I _not_ want to immediately get your number?”

“In my defense,” Yu said, his shoulders raising slightly in order to hide the heat now starting to burn his ears, “I had no idea how annoying Morgana could be at the time.”

“Oh it’s not _just_ a Morgana thing, Narukami,” the shadow told him, and Yu closed his eyes, but couldn’t stop himself from smiling in preparation for the next call out from Shadow Akira,. “I saw you making kissy faces at a second, completely different cat down the street from Leblanc when I was heading to class, so don’t try and tell me it was just because it was Morgana.”

“I wasn’t trying to say that,” Yu argued, grinning gently and opening his eyes.

“Your friends also ratted you out with like, literally no bribing what so ever that this is just a regular occurence with you.”

“In my defense, that cat on the corner was a very cute cat. And before you say I think all cats are cute, it’s because- get this- all cats _are_ cute.”

The shadow hummed, tilting his head in Yu’s lap as he looked up at him. Giving a quick glance at his hands to see they were clean, he reached a hand up and poked the tip of Yu’s nose, causing Yu to jolt in surprise.

“I was actually gonna say you’re cute,” Shadow Akira told him, smiling fondly.

“Now you’re just being a flirt.”

Another laugh. “I can’t help it!”

Yu chuckled gently, unable to even pretend to be annoyed, until he realized something. “Oh. No.”

Shadow Akira perked up curiously and gave a half nod in acknowledgement. “What is it?”

Bringing the hand that had been petting the shadow’s hair up, Yu covered half his face, desperate to stop the redness returning to his face after it had so recently receded. “You’re going to be _flirting_ with me now.”

Shadow Akira raised both his eyebrows as if this was new information to him. “Did you just now realize I was flirting with you?”

Yu could feel himself flushing redder at that remark, his shoulders raising once more defensively as he made an embarrassing noise. “You were flirting with me already?” he asked, hearing his own voice hit half an octave higher than its normal range.

The shadow’s mouth opened into an o-shape like he was attempting to find the words to say, tilting his head to pair with that expression. “Yu,” he started, “at what point did asking someone if they fell from Heaven stop being used as a common pick up line, ‘cause you literally told me there were staircases to walk down.”

Yu made a choking noise, one that was not flower induced, but fueled by an equally devastating emotion. “No, no, Heaven was the name of a dungeon- in the TV World- that wasn’t-” He stopped talking as he realized he couldn’t even properly defend himself, embarrassment flooding his whole body and making him turn scarlet red from the tip of his nose to the edges of his ears.

Shadow Akira burst into laughter again at his sudden expression change, his cheeks turning a soft pink color as he clutched his stomach with closed eyes and a large grin. Yu found himself unable to be truly offended at the merriment, relief drowning out any slight at the shadow’s continuous giggling.

It might have something to do with the fact that Yu was thinking about how not too long ago he was pretty certain Akira was going to die. This was far, far from that outcome, and he could only be grateful for that, regardless of any embarrassment.

Finally done laughing, Shadow Akira reached his hand up and poked the tip of Yu’s nose again.

“You should get going,” he told him, voice soft and fond.

Yu tilted his head to check the watch on his wrist in surprise, having forgotten that time in the shadow world passed at a different pace when compared to the real world. His energy was slowly draining and it was already close to evening. 

Gently grasping the shadow’s shoulder as Akira sat up, Yu asked, “Will you be alright here?”

Shadow Akira nodded his head with ease. “I will be,” he answered, stretching. “I did create this place, afterall.”

It seemed that the shadow remembered something though, as Yu watched him perk up from a thoughtful look and shift to grab some tissues from the table next to his bed. Reaching into the trash, he carefully wrapped the seed and flower he had spit up earlier in them before handing it to Yu.  
  
“This may be a little gross,” Shadow Akira started, grimacing himself. “But you should probably take this with you when you leave. So it can be properly gotten rid of.”

Yu nodded firmly, taking it like he was holding on to one of the most fragile things he’s ever held in his life, but he didn’t know whether he considered it a delicate trinket or a bomb.

Standing up, Yu hesitated, feeling the soreness and stiffness seep into him from being in the metaverse for so long.

“I love you, Yu,” Shadow Akira told him, catching Yu’s attention and making him turn around to see the gentle smile on his face. “I’ll see you when I wake up.”

Yu chuckled gently and leaned forward to press his lips to his forehead, pushing back his messy black hair in order to do so. “Sleep well.”

The shadow’s face scrunched up at the kiss. “I’m siiiiiiick,” he complained non committedly in response, sticking his tongue out.

“Mhm,” Yu hummed back, humored and relieved with a soft grin to match. Taking a step forward, he found himself hesitating once more.

“I’ll see you again soon,” he promised. With that, Yu began walking, heading the way he came through the Botanical Hospital.

He couldn’t help but note with joy that there was now a distinct lack of cherry blossoms in the air.

~ ♡ ~

When Yu returned, the flower and seed in his hand had turned into a simple brown napkin, clutched tightly in his grasp. Upon further examination, he realized it was the napkin that he had given Akira with his number and name written, back when Yu had been searching for a good coffee shop to study in and was lured to stay both by the presence of a cat and the cute barista.

Well, Akira had said he’d loved him since they first met. Here was the proof.

When he reached his apartment, Yu took the time to sit down and look at flower meanings. He wasn’t just going to give Akira a bouquet of roses; he wanted it to be tailored to Akira specifically. After seeing his dungeon, he had some idea that Akira would at least understand their meanings. And if Yu messed up somewhere in that, well, he was pretty certain Akira would also get a good laugh out of that and appreciate the effort Yu put in anyway.

He decided to get flowers the next morning before he went to Leblanc; he couldn’t wait _that_ long before he got to see Akira again and make sure he was okay. A day of rest would have to do. Quickly picking out a bouquet of lavender roses and red camellias— wanting to pay homage to Shadow Akira while also providing his own flare— Yu soon found himself in front of the cafe.

The sign was turned over to say “closed”,but upon checking if the door was open, he suddenly had three pairs of eyes on him, the noise of the little bell amplified by the silence as he stood in the door frame with a poorly hidden bouquet behind his back.

“Y-Yu?” Akira stuttered, standing up from his spot in the far booth to greet him. The pair seated opposite to Akira had turned also to watch Yu, and it was in that moment Yu realized he wasn't ready to meet Akira’s parents yet, Metaverse encounter notwithstanding.

“Hey, Akira,” Yu greeted, gentle and still managing a smile as he was given a hug, which he returned, one handed due to his attempt to still hide the flowers. “How’re you feeling?”

“A lot better, actually,” Akira admitted as he pulled back, and he grinned, warming Yu’s heart enough to melt..

The two heard a polite cough behind them, and that caused Akira’s face to flush, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “Ah, Yu?” he said, and then motioned toward the pair. “These are my parents. Dads, this is Yu.”

The man with brown hair grunted and gave a nod of his head, friendly enough despite straight face he held. The other man Yu recognized right away from Akira’s cognition.

“Oh! Is that the Narukami boy you always talk about?” Jun questioned, smiling fondly as Akira’s cheeks darkened.

“Dad, please,” Akira begged, the perfect example of a kid who was being embarrassed by his parents, and Yu couldn’t help but chuckle at the display.

Remembering what he was holding in his hands, Yu made a small sound and presented the bouquet to Akira. “I bought these for you.”

Yu didn’t think it was possible for any more blood to find its way to Akira’s cheeks, but he watched how his ears began to turn a shade of pink as well as he took the flowers. “Ah,” was the only response he received, and he felt like he was witnessing some of the gears in Akira’s mind stop working.

“Oh! Smart boy knows his flower meanings,” Jun commented in the background, pleased.

“I think we should give them some privacy,” the other man told his partner, chuckling.

Akira turned to shoot his parents another look, and in return received a knowing and amused smile as the pair turned around and pretended they weren't listening still. Rolling his eyes, he huffed and turned back to Yu.

“Sorry about them,” he said softly, dropping his voice and casting another glance like he was ensuring they weren’t being overheard.

“It’s fine,” Yu responded in equal volume, his own cheeks pink after the focus put on them. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”

“You’re fine, we were just talking about things since they came into town last night,” Akira explained, and then he paused, shaking his head. “It’s funny. I had a weird dream about you while I was in-and-out of it.”

Yu perked instinctively at that, which earned a more focused and calculated look from Akira. “....Did you have something to do with this?”

Yu hummed, tilting his head a bit. “I can explain it to you later,” he assured, providing a smile, and deciding not to address the look of realization that came over Akira’s face at his answer. “I should get going.”

“No, wait-” Akira grabbed his hand, stopping him from going. “You can just. Stay here y’know,” he told him, beginning to mumble at the end.

“I don’t want to intrude on family time.”

“No, you’re staying,” Akira told him, not sounding like he was giving Yu a choice in the matter. Releasing his hand, he shifted the flowers from one arm to the other and nodded for Yu to join him in the booth seat.

Smiling, Yu followed, and he rested his hand on top of Akira’s as soon as they settled, relief flooding him that he could feel the warmth of Akira’s hands once more.

**Author's Note:**

> for the lot of you that has made it this far, these are the flower meanings for all flowers mentioned!
> 
> Pink Camellia: Longing for You  
> Lavender Rose: Love at First Sight  
> Red Carnation: My heart aches/Admiration  
> Red Rose: Love/I love you  
> Red Camellia: You’re a Flame in My Heart  
> Cherry Blossom: Fleeting Life
> 
> special shout out to [yuzanagi](https://yuzanagi.tumblr.com/) who not only beta read this, but was a sound board to help me fully realize this idea. you can also find me over at [cantfoolajoker](https://cantfoolajoker.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!
> 
> i did have the idea of a "bad ending" sort of path this could take, which i may come back to later depending on if people want to see it or not.


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